Getting into crochet socks – a sockalong

I’m in between podcasts at the moment, planning and recording for the second episode and crochet socks are a major topic again. For people who can’t knit well but who do crochet, being able to produce a decent looking sock with a hook is an exciting challenge and there are loads of good patterns out there… So, I suggested to the lovely folk in the Crafternooners group on Facebook that they might like to join me in a crochet sockalong!

Crochet socks are hot!

There’s been plenty of interest and now, with two pairs of crochet socks under my belt, I think its time to branch out and try some different patterns, so I’m planning two new pairs of socks. If you want to join in, you can do so by subscribing to the podcast on YouTube, following my blog or my posts in Instagram or Facebook, or signing up to join The Crafternooners or the Crafternoon Treats group on Ravelry.

The crochet sock patterns

I’ve suggested three patterns to start with because all are fairly easy and I’m confident they all work well. You are, of course, welcome to join in and make a completely different sock pattern. The idea is to have fun and make some crochet socks!

• Survival socks – by Elin Stoodley on Ravelry (@pandagourgh on IG): I’ve made my first two crochet socks using this pattern and its very easy to do, easy to follow and, as you can see from my sock pics, it definitely makes some nice socks. This pattern is FREE to download and the recommended yarn is Drops Fabel (very cost effective way to start out).

• Basic crochet sock pattern by Nicole Cormier on Ravelry. The link takes you to Nicole’s website, which has loads of useful information about making crochet socks. This is definitely worth reading in detail… The patterns (there are several) are also FREE to download and the recommended yarn is a Patons sock yarn but any 4ply/fingering weight yarn would be suitable. Note that this sock has no cuff at the top but I will be adding one to mine 🙂

• Saunders socks by Joanne Scrace on Ravelry (half of The Crochet Project [with Kat Goldin] and @notsogranny on IG). This is a paid pattern but I’ve bought it and included it for two reasons. Firstly Joanne is an excellent designer and pattern writer and this pattern has been thoroughly tested. It is also a pattern for crochet socks made in DK yarn (not 4ply or fingering weight yarn).

Sock yarn

I’ve included some examples below using yarn that I’ve actually bought – but there are trillions of other brands out there. The popularity of knitted socks has caused an explosion of new brands and fibre blends so you’ll have no trouble finding sock yarn…

I’ve used Drops Fabel which comes in some lovely colours but, a small word of warning, it can get a teensy bit splitty if you rip parts back and redo them… Its a good yarn though and you can make a pair of crochet socks for under £4. Great starter yarn while you are getting into the swing of sock making.

The next on the ladder in terms of price are brands such as King Cole ZigZag, which I’m using for my knitting sock, and Sirdar Heart and Sole. They both come in lovely colours and are about £6 – £8 for a 100g ball, so enough to make a pair of socks.

For around £10 to £12 for 100g you can get a luxury sock yarn such as the one  by Debbie Bliss, or Crazy Zauberball, both of which I’ve bought from real yarn shops (the Debbie Bliss from Ramshambles in York and the Zauberball from Loop in Islington, London.

As you get really into socks you might want to plump for a hand-dyed yarn but these retail for anything from £14.00 per 100g upwards… to the sky’s the limit. As grown ups you can choose to do your first crochet sock in something like this if you want to…

All the online retailers have sock yarn but its also good to go squish some sock yarn when you make your choice – I’ve come to realise that looking for a yarn that is lovely and smooth and soft without being splitty is probably a good way to go.

Hook size

All three patterns make recommendations and its a good idea to check your tension/guage and to try your sock on as you’re making it. I think its a common thing when knitting socks to try some basic patterns and then ‘tweak’ them so that the socks you make for yourself fit your own feet perfectly. So make notes on what you change and how you make the socks so that you can repeat what works!

Personally I feel that smaller is better… I used a 3mm for the Survival Socks I made and if I try a smoother yarn, I might be tempted to go down to a 2.5mm… I’m thinking of making the toe to see how that works out.

Sizing your socks

All three patterns also give a guide on how big to make your socks, depending on the size of your foot. There are several ways to go about this. One is to go by your shoe size, but its probably more accurate to measure your foot circumference as well. Joanne Scrace’s pattern gives information on sizing based on both foot length and foot circumference and the notes by Nicole give a huge amount of information on sizing.

For the survival socks, I used the guide on how long to make the sock from the toe to the start of the heel using the table provided by Elin – and my socks fit really well. I might be tempted to use a smaller hook, or to reduce the number of stitches in the round from 50 to 48 if I make this pattern again. My feet must be the only part of me that are thin!